1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a plumbing conduit anchor and, more particularly, to an anchor plate for stabilizing a plumbing conduit or tubing or pipe extending through a wall opening.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When plumbing tubing or piping is installed extending through a wall, such as a dry wall, openings are cut in the wall through which tubing or conduit portions extend. The openings are generally larger than the conduit portions. These conduit portions generally connect inside the wall to transversely extending conduits, and a plurality of such conduit portions are frequently connected to a single transversely extending conduit. Various plumbing fixtures are affixed at the end of the conduit portions outside the wall.
During use of the plumbing fixtures that are connected to the tubing, flexing of the transverse tubing occurs because such tubing is most frequently constituted by thin wall copper tubing which is inherently more flexible than a rigid pipe. Thus, movement occurs of the conduit or tubing portions through the wall openings. This is particularly true for flexible water supply pipes, which are frequently of flexible thin wall copper tubing. Such movement of the conduit portions not only gives the user the impression that the plumbing is faulty, but also leads to cracks and breaking in the surrounding wall area. When the words "tubing", "conduit", and/or .-+.piping" are used herein, they will be used interchangeably insofar as meaning is concerned.
It is well known to provide wall escutcheons to cover the openings through which the conduit portions extend. The wall escutcheons are frequently decorative, such as by being chrome-plated.